Greeley murder suspect’s jury trial underway

The murder trial of Greeley resident Cesar Balderrama began Monday with two full days of jury selection. The trial is scheduled to end Wednesday, Dec. 9. Balderrama faces a life sentence in prison if convicted of murdering his father, Socorro, 62, in November 2014 at their Greeley home.

The trial of a Greeley man charged with the murder of his father began Wednesday with opening statements during which neither side argued the defendant's guilt.

Cesar Balderrama, 33, is charged in Weld District Court with one count of first-degree murder after deliberation. He is accused of fatally shooting his father, Socorro, 62, in the head with a .22-caliber handgun on Nov. 7, 2014, at their home in the 2400 block of Apple Avenue.

Although Balderrama's guilt wasn't brought into question during Wednesday's opening statements, the two sides did argue about whether his actions were premeditated.

Revisiting Greeley police detective testimony from Balderrama's bond hearing in May, Weld Deputy District Attorney Joscelyn Shively argued the defendant confessed multiple times to murdering his father following the crime. Those confessions were made at random and without any probing by officers. In addition, Shively argued Balderrama also told police he decided to kill his father several hours before the shooting.

One of Balderrama's attorneys, public defender Kathy Heffron, argued the shooting couldn't have been premeditated because her client was under the influence of alcohol. Court records note Balderrama could have consumed as many as 12 beers before and after the shooting and that he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.15 at the time of his arrest, almost double the limit for driving under the influence.

About 7 p.m. Nov. 7, 2014, Evans police responded to a disturbance at a home in the 3400 block of Marigold Street. One of the residents, Balderrama's brother-in-law, told police Balderrama arrived at his home intoxicated, high on methamphetamine and holding a revolver, according to court records. Balderrama told his brother-in-law he had just shot his father in the head.

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Evans police arrested Balderrama, while Greeley detectives investigated the scene back at his house. Balderrama would later tell Greeley detectives he and his father were moving out of their house on Apple Avenue and had signed a lease on a new apartment near his ex-girlfriend's home. Balderrama told his father he'd kill his ex-girlfriend and then himself if they bumped into each other. But Balderrama said his father didn't care.

It was at that point Balderrama decided he was going to kill his father, according to statements he made to police. Several hours later, after consuming about a half of a case of beer, Balderrama obtained the revolver, went downstairs to the basement and squeezed off one round. The bullet struck his father above his right ear, records stated.

The case is being tried before Weld District Court Judge Shannon Lyons, who denied bond during Balderrama's hearing in May.

Cesar Balderrama murder trial

The murder trial of Greeley resident Cesar Balderrama began Monday with two full days of jury selection. The trial is scheduled to end Wednesday, Dec. 9. Balderrama faces a life sentence in prison if convicted of murdering his father, Socorro, 62, in November 2014 at their Greeley home.